1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to articles that are packaged in a compressed state relative to an uncompressed fully articulated state and methods of making and using same. In a specific embodiment, but not to be considered as limiting, the articles so packaged in a compressed state are plant covers.
2. Description of the Background
Flower pot covers, including plant covers, and methods of making and using same are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,182, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. In the U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,182 patent it is disclosed that the flower pot covers could be flattened and packaged for shipment and storing. The disclosed methods in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,182 patent required flattening each cover individually before packing and storing. The cost of packaging such flattened flower pot covers with each cover being separately flattened is greater than using a fully erected flower pot cover because substantial mechanical or manual labor is required to flatten, open and erect each cover separately.
In order to alleviate such deficiencies, the presently claimed and disclosed invention provides the packaging, storing and shipping of plant covers (more specifically, flower pot covers, floral grouping covers, sleeves, bags, and tubes) at higher density levels thereby providing for the efficient and economical packaging, storing and shipping of plant covers without substantially affecting the decorative properties of the plant covers. The presently claimed methods entail, in one embodiment, the placing of one plant cover inside of another plant cover (i.e., nesting the plant covers) so as to form a stack of two or more plant covers and thereafter compressing the entire stack of plant covers in either or both of the horizontal and vertical planes (i.e., along the height, length and/or width of the plant covers). Compressing the nested plant covers so as too partially or completely flatten the covers horizontally and/or vertically provides for a means of packing, storing and/or shipping plant covers in an efficient and economical manner.
By first nesting the plant covers and then compressing them, solely or primarily horizontally, the plant covers are made more easily useable than if the covers are individually flattened and then packed for shipping. The primary reason for this is that all of the covers can be re-erected to their full or semi-full three-dimensional shape with one motion of pressing horizontally on two opposing sides of the stack of nested covers so as to restore the covers to their fully erected form. This saves considerable time as opposed to erecting each individual cover, as is required if each cover has been individually flattened. Any remaining oval shape due to the plant covers being compressed are eliminated when the covers have been placed about a flower pot or placed about a floral grouping.
These and other methods and apparatuses are disclosed and claimed herein and will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art given the description, drawings and claims provided herein.